In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

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As Naruto's figure disappeared in the distance like a ripple, Nao furrowed her brows. She still felt a lingering frustration, as if something important had slipped away from her grasp.

Meanwhile, Naruto remained with the group. After leaving the Konoha Forest, hundreds of people broke into smaller teams, each team running their own course. No one knew the exact routes of the others, supposedly to prevent any intelligence leaks.

In reality, it was to prevent people from deserting halfway through the mission. After all, among this large group of Chunin, few had solid foundational skills.

Some were merely lucky survivors from the previous mission, and they had been rounded up again.

These Shinobi were well aware of their limited abilities. If they felt the mission wouldn't pay off, they might decide to flee. And if the entire plan was exposed, it would be a huge loss.

Nobi didn’t interact with Naruto much. After what had happened earlier, Shita and Noma had also stopped talking to Naruto. A thick wall of awkwardness had grown between them, separating them from being on the same side.

But it couldn’t be helped. The whole team was made up of rookies, except for Naruto, who seemed unbothered. It would’ve been fine if he had stayed silent, but instead, he kept flaunting his good fortune.

From time to time, Naruto would run over to Nobi, trying to strike up a conversation. He’d say a few words here, then another comment there. Nobi found him annoying and didn’t respond, but that didn’t stop Naruto from bothering him.

The four of them traversed mountains and crossed valleys, skirting the edges of the Land of Fire’s forest. The scenery along the way looked unfamiliar, likely a result of the war that had devastated this area.

For three days, they followed their route. From Konoha's front lines, they had maneuvered their way to the rear of Sunagakure’s territory.

They had reached the Land of Rivers. Sunagakure had pushed its front line all the way into this region, which bordered the Land of Fire. Both sides were continuously testing each other’s limits through force.

It was like a game of mutual probing, with each side trying to gauge the other's strength.

Just north of this location was the Land of Rain, which is sandwiched between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. The Land of Rain was still powerless, so they could only allow Sunagakure to exploit them as they saw fit.

After days of exhausting travel, the four Shinobi grew increasingly silent.

During the break, Nobi still didn’t speak to Naruto, but Naruto didn’t mind. To the others, getting close to the rear of the Sunagakure meant certain death. But to Naruto, it meant freedom.

One person’s hell was another person’s paradise.

As Naruto leaned back against a rock, leisurely resting with his eyes closed, Nobi suddenly spoke up, "Yellow Flash is also participating in this mission."

"What?"

Naruto, along with the other two, was taken aback. They all looked at Nobi, surprised. Nobi was usually a man of few words, speaking only when absolutely necessary.

Now that the mission was about to begin and they had reached the rear of Sunagakure, it seemed Nobi could no longer keep the truth to himself.

"Nobi! Is that great man really here?" Shita immediately stood up, his expression filled with excitement. It was as if he had thrown caution to the wind, his eyes gleaming with joy.

"That's fantastic! If that great man is here, our mission won’t be a suicide run!" Noma clenched his fists and was about to cry.

Naruto, meanwhile, was a bit dumbfounded. Watching the others’ reactions, he vaguely pieced things together, ‘Namikaze Minato, the cheap dad of the original body.’

Beyond the titles of genius and potential Hokage, Minato, stripped of all the praise and accolades, was a Shinobi with unparalleled strength.

In the eyes of these civilian Shinobi without power or background, being on a mission with Minato was like finding a life-saving card that dramatically increased their odds of survival.

To put it more intuitively, Minato is almost the god of civilian Shinobi.

Shita and Noma were extremely excited, and were grateful that their chances of surviving had increased significantly. But while they celebrated, Naruto was left speechless.

‘If Kitahiko survived this, wouldn’t I become the clown of the story?’

However, Naruto didn’t dwell on this thought for too long. Their chances of survival had improved, but not to an infinite degree. Minato was indeed a formidable force, but even he had his limits.

After thinking it over, Naruto decided to stick to his original plan.

Another day passed, and the group had drawn dangerously close to the Sunagakure’s rear. The area was heavily guarded, with dense patrols in every direction.

The four of them hid within a forest, not daring to make any rash moves.

"Wait for the signal." Nobi said in a low voice.

They were waiting for the order to launch a full assault. Officially, only around a hundred people were participating in this mission. But behind the scenes, Root and Anbu’s members had already infiltrated Sunagakure’s rear lines.

The hundred-strong group was merely a distraction, meant to draw attention and buy time.

The overall commander of the operation was Minato, with a captain from Root co-leading the mission, and no one other than him could command Root’s members.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, and the tension was palpable.

Everyone was on edge, except for Naruto, who was more preoccupied with wondering if Minato would end up saving their team. He silently prayed for the best outcome, hoping for things to follow natural law.

‘Please! Please! No plot-killing.’

Just as Naruto silently chanted to himself, Nobi suddenly approached him. In the darkness, Nobi’s cold eyes gleamed faintly.

"What's up?"

"Yeah." Nobi lowered his voice and glanced at Noma and Shita in the distance.

"What's the matter?" Naruto was preoccupied with other thoughts and was a little absent-minded.

"I want to talk to you about Nohara Nao. You're not planning on going back, are you?" Nobi suddenly threw out a question that left Naruto slightly stunned.

"I'll get straight to the point. You're not Kitahiko!" Nobi stared at Naruto coldly.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto smiled, but his gaze grew colder, "I have no idea what you're saying. If I'm not Kitahiko, who is?"

"Don't worry, I won't reveal your secret." Nobi said calmly, "I will probably die. We're all going to die, except you."

"What do you mean?"

"I lied to them. The Yellow Flash isn't coming to the outskirts. All of us are abandoned cannon fodder. Once the elite forces complete their mission, they'll retreat immediately."

Under the faint moonlight, Naruto saw Nobi’s face more clearly. Outside the forest was a large camp of Sunagakure, dimly lit and eerily quiet.

The more silent it was, the more it felt like the calm before a storm, with danger lurking on every side.

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto was a little surprised.

"In order to complete the mission, all the team leaders said something similar." Nobi said, "I know I might die, so there are things I have to say beforehand."

"I like Nohara Nao." He paused, then took a brand-new necklace from his chest pocket and handed it to Naruto, "Please give it to her for me."